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Transportation California, a nonprofit group, has announced plans for a state tax measure that could generate $3 billion per year to help fund bridge and road repairs in California by raising vehicle registration fees. "Our (transportation) infrastructure is crumbling," said Will Kempton, head of the group. "We need to make an investment as soon as possible. It's only going to get more expensive as time goes on," Kempton added. The measure would need voter approval and could appear on the state's November 2014 ballot.

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A private consortium will start soon on a $3 billion expansion of Interstate 66, one of the busiest commuter routes in the Washington, D.C., area. The road will go from six lanes to 10 along a 22-mile stretch, and the consortium has a 50-year lease to finance, build, operate and maintain it in return for toll revenue.

Voters in San Diego approved a measure to spend $3 billion on infrastructure improvements over the next 25 years. Associated General Contractors supported the proposition, which increases the sales tax and allocates funds from hotel taxes and pension savings. A second infrastructure measure will go before voters in November.

The Army Corps of Engineers warns that failure by Congress to raise the spending limit for the $3 billion Olmsted locks and dam project on the Ohio River between Illinois and Kentucky would put more than 600 construction jobs at risk and raise the cost of the project further. The complexity of the project and its "off-and-on construction" have contributed to the project's increased costs, writes James Bruggers, and a shutdown of construction could push the project's completion back by at least a year, according to David Dale of the Cincinnati office of the Corps of Engineers.

Three key bridge projects in the New York/New Jersey area will generate about 5,000 construction jobs and billions in economic activity. The $1.5 billion Goethals Bridge replacement project will be done by Kiewit Development and Macquarie as a public-private partnership. Skanska Koch and Kiewit Infrastructure will raise the roadway on the Bayonne Bridge, a $1.29 billion project. Crisdel Group will do the resurfacing of the Outerbridge Crossing resurfacing, a $15.3 million project.

The approval of $3 billion in Proposition 12 bond funds by the Texas Transportation Commission will allow the state to begin much-needed improvements on its rural highways, farm-to-market roads and upgrades of existing bridges. Projects scheduled to start next summer include additional lanes for U.S. 277, bridge replacements and road widening.